We've been seeing a lot of tablet PCs lately, but none quite like this. The AirSpeak Flair ($1,900 street) is a tablet device that provides wireless access to a desktop workstation. If your business has an 802.11b wireless network and you regularly work away from your PC, the Flair may be what you're looking for.

The Flair has three operational modes. In PC Access mode, the Flair acts as a remote-access device, letting you interact with applications and files that reside on your PC (or network server) from anywhere your wireless network reaches. In Internet Access mode, you have a wireless connection to the Internet (or corporate intranet). In Standalone mode you can use your Flair as a Windows CE 3.0 handheld device. All three modes worked successfully on our tests.

The Flair's most outstanding hardware feature is its screen, a 12.1-inch TFT with a resolution of 1,024-by-768. The big display makes the unit heavier (4 pounds) and larger (10.4 by 13.1 by 1.6 inches) than tablets we've tested from Fujitsu and ViewSonic. But for sharing files in a meeting, for example, it's a welcome addition. Switching from portrait to landscape mode is cumbersome, involving multiple screen taps and powering the device off and on.

We tested PC Access mode with a Dell Inspiron 8100 as the host and an 11-Mbps Lucent Orinoco WiFi PC Card. We accessed and edited a Microsoft Word document and browsed the Internet. We also established an Internet connection in Internet Access mode and then toggled between two Internet sessions.

The device incorporates USB, infrared, VGA-out, and PS/2 ports, plus stereo speakers, a microphone, and audio-in and -out jacks. It comes with PhatWare Corp.'s CalliGrapher 6.01 (a handwriting recognition application) and AirSpeak's FlairView software (for PC Access mode). Accessories include a USB keyboard ($60) and an extended battery ($250) in case the rated 3- to 4-hour life of the standard battery is insufficient for your needs.

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About the Author

Bruce Brown, a PC Magazine Contributing Editor, is a former truck driver, aerobics instructor, high school English teacher, therapist, and adjunct professor (gypsy) in three different fields (Computing, Counseling, and Education) in the graduate departments of three different colleges and universities (Wesleyan University , St. Joseph College, and ... See Full Bio

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Marge Brown, a PC Magazine Contributing Editor, has worked in the technology field for twenty years, as Director of Technology at The Travelers Companies, as an independent Managed Health Care technology consultant, and as owner of Brown Consulting Associates, the family's freelance technology writing business.
Since 1998, Marge has worked on a ... See Full Bio

A Flair for Productivity

A Flair for Productivity

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